A Quick Trip to Seoul: Namsan Wangdonkatsu and a Glimpse of the Fireworks Festival
Hello, I'm currently in Seoul!
I took a quick trip to Seoul for a short business matter.
I had the chance to try the original Namsan Wangdonkatsu (king-sized pork cutlet) at a famous restaurant in Namsan, and since the Seoul International Fireworks Festival was happening in Yeouido, I even caught a glimpse of the fireworks from afar after visiting Namsan.
I drove to the Namsan Wangdonkatsu restaurant, which was reassuring because they had someone managing parking.
Although, calling them a 'parking attendant' might be a bit of a stretch... the management wasn't exactly quick.
I saw it was on a few TV shows, but I don't really watch TV much...
(Born in the 90s and haven't really watched variety shows since Infinite Challenge)
We went up the stairs and the sight of the Donkatsu on the entrance sign made me hungry.
We drove for over an hour and a half, so my whole family was super hungry and we ran up there fast!
The walls along the stairs were covered with autographs from tons of celebrities.
I wondered if the taste would live up to the hype... hehe.
The first impression when I walked in was that of a long-standing, well-worn local favorite.
The turnover was fast and there were so many customers.
We sat at a table near the entrance, and I was really surprised.
Here's the menu: Wangdonkatsu, Fish Cutlet, Spicy Wangdonkatsu, Cheese Wangdonkatsu, and Udon.
If you're not up for the spicy donkatsu, you can order the regular Wangdonkatsu and a side of the spicy sauce.
Operating Hours:
10:00 - 22:00
Since many people visit Namsan late at night to see the night view, I think the closing time is relatively late for a pork cutlet restaurant.
We ordered three Wangdonkatsu and one Spicy Wangdonkatsu.
Inside on the first floor, there are stairs going up to the second floor.
There were diced radish kimchi and pepper on the table.
When you sit down and order, they bring out the soup in like 10 seconds. Add pepper to it and enjoy.
They also give you soup and chili peppers, but I was so out of it that I forgot to take pictures... ^^
It felt a bit like a market stall, but... well, that's part of the fun. I liked it.
The Wangdonkatsu came out first.
The pork cutlet was huge (it's a *king-sized* pork cutlet, after all...).
It comes with pickled radish, cabbage salad (with berry sauce, maybe?), and rice on one plate.
You can order extra rice if you need it, but unless you're a really big eater, it's enough. The pork cutlet is big!
It's not a thick-cut pork loin cutlet, but the thickness was enough to feel the texture of the meat.
The spicy pork cutlet looks so similar that they put a chili pepper on top to differentiate it.
I dipped my finger in the sauce and tasted it.
It's spicy... not as spicy as Buldak ramen, but spicier than Shin Ramyun (based on my spice tolerance).
There's also ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce) on the table, which you can use to dip the chili peppers they give you at the start.
And the chili peppers were spicy too...?!
(Of course, I didn't touch them...)
The soup must be good.
I didn't try it myself (I wanted to fill up on pork cutlet...????)
My niece finished three bowls of soup.^^
Not eating the meat... eat the meat!
I had the Namsan Wangdonkatsu, and it was so delicious, maybe because it had been a while since I had classic Korean-style pork cutlet.
It was like the classic homemade pork cutlet, seasoned with salt and pepper.
But it's a taste that everyone knows, so it's not really worth going out of your way for.
And on the way down, I saw the 2025 Seoul International Fireworks Festival that was happening in Yeouido from afar.
Oh, and I saw Ok-soon from I am Solo Season 27 that day....
Maybe it's because it's near Huam-dong....
She had a look of confusion as to why people were gathering there that day. I wanted to say hello, but I was too shy and thought she might be too, so I didn't... but she's so pretty... hehe
I hope everyone has a great weekend and a good night!
Thank you for reading my post today! ㅎㅎ
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